The Mantle and Other Stories

have expanded to infinity; the earth is bathed in silver light; the air is warm, voluptuous, and redolent of innumerable sweet scents. Divine night! Magical night! Motionless, bu

One falls into a weird and unearthly mood, and silvery apparitions rise from the depths. Divine night! Magical night! Suddenly the woods, lakes, and steppes become alive. The nightingales of the Ukraine are singing, and it seems as though the moon itself were listening to their song. The village sleeps as t

! Hop! tralala! Hop! Hop! Hop!" Thus a half-intoxicated, middle-aged Cossack talked to himself as he danced through the street. "By

ancing, and the children laughing at him," exclaimed an old woman who was pass

carries his head high. As to being headman-I myself am a headman. Yes indeed-otherwise--" As he spoke, he stepped up to the door of the first cottage he came to, stood

!" some young girls who were returning from the dance

lease,

laimed. "How polite Kalenik is! We will show

threatened them with his finger, and stumbled, not being able to stand steadily. "And will you

ked up courage and went on the other side of the road

ointing to one which was larger than the res

s it, and began again

Cossacks would not like to be a headman? The headman has an entry everywhere, and every stalwart rustic stands respectfully, cap in hand, so long as the headman feels round his snuff-box with his thick, coarse finger. In parish-meetings and other assemblies, although his power may be limited by the votes of the majority, the headman still maintains

he Empress, and sat on the box of the imperial coach. He often pretends to be hard of hearing, especially when he hears something that he does not like. He has an aversion for dandies, and himself wears under a black caftan of cloth, made at home, a simple, embroidered,

village gossips say that she is not a relation of his; but we must remark that the headman has many enemies who spread all kinds of slanders about him. We have now said what we considered